Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
Nevada
WAC Champions!!!
5/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
May 9, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. - It took extra innings, but the top-seeded Fresno State softball team defeated the second seed Nevada Wolf Pack 3-2 in eight innings to claim its third WAC Tournament Title (1999, 2007). Fresno State earned the top seed in the tournament after being named regular season co-champs with Nevada and swept through tournament play, defeating Boise State, Louisiana Tech and the Wolf Pack.
"We have been trying to build momentum all year from game-to-game and inning-by-inning," Haley Perkins said. "We have been on a roll lately and this is just a start. We still have a long way to go. We accomplished our first goal but now we have some others we need to get."
The `Dogs earn the automatic berth to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. It will be the 28th-straight appearance for the `Dogs in the NCAA's, the only team to make every one since the tournament has existed. The NCAA selection show is Sunday night at 7 p.m. PST on ESPNU.
"It was a little too exciting for us," said head coach Margie Wright. "This team is ready to go one step further. They have really done a great job and stepped up. Morgan got outs when she needed to and both Haley's were doing what they needed to do."
Bulldog sophomore pitcher Morgan Melloh was named MVP of the tournament as she went 3-0 over the weekend and had six strikeouts in the championship game. She allowed just two runs in the three games combined.
Back-to-back walks to Perkins and Haley Gilleland started the tone for the `Dogs. Alexis Lujan, the clean-up hitter, singled to left field to load the bases but the `Dogs wouldn't be able to get a run across in the first.
Nevada took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth after a Melloh walk to Britton Murdock followed by a triple down the left field line by Sarah Hunt.
Fresno State fought back to take the lead as Nicole Angene led off the bottom of the inning for the `Dogs with a double to left center of Nevada's Katie Holverson.
A ground rule double over the left field wall by Brooke Phipps sent pinch runner Kaylan Pollard home to tie the game.
A Gilleland single right at Holverson scored Phipps from third to put the `Dogs up 2-1. Holverson was replaced in the circle by Mallory Darby with one out.
With two outs in the top of the sixth, Nevada would tie the game on a bloop single to left field and send it to extra innings. It was the third-straight extra inning game in the tournament for Nevada.
A walk to Lisamarie Coronado and a single by Angene put two `Dogs on with one out in the bottom of the eighth. After an intentional walk to Perkins, Gilleland drilled a shot to left field as the `Dogs would score the winning run.
"Walking Haley (Perkins) was a good idea, I would've done that same thing except I wouldn't know what to do with Haley (Gilleland) on deck which is what happened to Nevada," Wright added. "They had three balls on her so they had to pitch to her and it couldn't have been better the way it played out."
"I knew going up to the plate they couldn't walk me with two outs and I just waited for my pitch and that's what happened," Gilleland said. "At first I thought it might be caught but it went through and it was a good feeling for our team. We have been up and down all season and this tournament was good for us."
It is the longest win streak of the season for the `Dogs at eight.
Melloh improved to 28-14 in the circle as the `Dogs now have a 36-18 overall record. Fresno State had nine hits in the game, let by Gilleland and Angene with two each.
"I wanted to win," Melloh said. "This is great momentum. If we can win the WAC, we can win anything."
2009 WAC Softball All-Tournament Team
Kelly Sweeney, Boise State
Kelli Fangonilo, San Jose State
Hoku Nohara, New Mexico State
Kylie Randall, New Mexico State
Amberly Waits, Louisiana Tech
Katie Holverson, Nevada
Noelle Micka, Nevada
Danielle Patrick, Nevada
Lisamarie Coronado, Fresno State
Haley Gilleland, Fresno State
MVP: Morgan Melloh, Fresno State
"Join the State - Fresno State!" - The selection show is Sunday at 7 p.m. PST on ESPNU.
